February Inspiration

During the month of February, stores turn up the pink! We think it could have something to do with a little something called Valentine’s Day…

Pink and black has definitely been a source of inspiration for us the past couple weeks. We think it is a color combo that can be incorporated into the decor, attire, and of course, invitations!

 

We love how these bridesmaid dresses and shoes perfectly match our Ebony and Salmon Filigree Wedding Invitation.

Do you plan on incorporating a specific color palette into your wedding details?

The Dallas Bridal Show

This past weekend 1st Class Wedding Invitations created a booth for the Dallas Bridal Show, a two-day event filled with all types of wedding vendors. As an online company, we rarely get to meet customers in person so it was a real treat to be at the show. We had our marketing team and customer service team on hand to answer any questions brides had about etiquette, invitation timing, and online purchasing.

 

We kept an open space in the booth so brides, grooms, and ”planning teams” could walk in to view specific invitations that caught their eye.

Our display table featured a laptop exhibiting our website, examples of our accessories, favors, and napkins, and of course, some candy for people to grab on their way out!

As part of our booth, we featured a guestbook where people could sign and enter to win a $150 giftcard from our website. We are busy importing all the names this week and will randomly select a winner within the next few days.

The Dallas Bridal Show was an absolute blast and a very good opportunity for us to meet some of our awesome customers.  Thank you to all those who made it possible!

Stationery Trends in 10: Vibrant Color

Bold color combinations are all over the wedding stationery world as we gear up for the upcoming spring and summer events. Some couples are opting to include multi-color bridesmaid dresses, flowers, and even invitations as part of a unique color scheme. We are very excited to see how creative brides will use vibrant color palettes in their decor and wedding invitations.

Here are a few of our vibrant color recommendations:

 

This Kiwi Border Watercolor invitation is artistic and bright, featuring shades of green, pink, yellow, and orange. Select a font color and envelope liner to enhance your favorite color printed in the artwork of the invitation.

This Daring Orange and Fuchsia invitation is a vibrant Jean M design. The style reminds us of a beautiful spring or summer wedding, perhaps even with a tropical flair. With a personalized tag on the outside of the invitation along with beautiful detail inside, this invite is sure to make an impact on guests.

Red and lime is a color trend we began seeing in 2009, and we’re sure more is to come in 2010. This Lime Green and Cherry Pocket invitation beautifully exemplifies how to make this color come to life.  Some people shy away from this scheme for fear it will mimic the holidays, but if you use a bright green, it definitely works.

Vibrant colors are a trend we see in a variety of forms, but in 2010, we predict couples will be much bolder in their wedding color choices in order to make a lasting impression on guests.

Stationery Trends in 10: The Great Outdoors

After a wonderful break to celebrate the holidays and new year, we are ready to jump head first into 2010! Over the course of the next weeks, we will be introducing some of our favorite wedding trends for the new year.

Today we want to discuss a trend that began in 2009 and will most likely continue throughout the new year. We are starting to see more and more weddings step away from the traditional ballroom setting and move to more rustic locations. Whether it be a ranch, a lake, or even your own backyard, outdoor settings make beautiful wedding backdrops.

 

This Chocolate and Lagoon Toile invitation would be perfect for a wedding on the lake or river. The aqua color paired with the chocolate brown help to introduce guests to a beautiful outdoor setting.

If you and your fiance want an outdoor ceremony, but are unsure where to look, we recommend checking out local ranches and state parks. You can sometimes find some good deals for a beautiful location. We suggest pairing this Modern Sage and Brown Stripe Border invitation with your ranch wedding because it highlights the subdued natural greens and browns that will most likely be found at your location.

When selecting a wedding venue, have you ever considered looking to your backyard? Literally? Your home can be a wonderfully personal place to host guests for a more intimate ceremony and reception. 1st Class offers a full line of Do It Yourself invitation materials including this DIY Natural Pocket Mailer. You have the ability to design and print your invitations to your exact specifications.

The Great Outdoors is a versatile theme, and we can see many couples using this in their upcoming weddings. Stay tuned as we continue to share with you our predictions for other wedding trends in 2010.

Happy Holidays from 1st Class Wedding Invitations

Today kicks off a busy week at 1st Class. We are spending the next few days taking orders, preparing for the new year, and running our end of the year promotion. Now through January 3, 2010 couples can receive 20% off and Free Ground Shipping on their order of invitations, accessories, and napkins. We find that more and more couples are using their initials on their wedding stationery in order to customize their design even more. Your new initials will make a lasting impression on your wedding guests!

Use the code FCS1Look at checkout to receive the discount.

Happy shopping, and of course, Happy Holidays from all of us at 1st Class Wedding Invitations!

Monday Invitation Spotlight: Silver Paisley Pocket

Today’s pocket wedding invitation is a real treat! It combines a book like elements with that of a pocket. Guests will be able to open up your invitation booklet to find out information about the ceremony and reception and can pull out the response card from the back pocket. The elegant paisley pattern is printed on the front and on the borders of the interior cardstock. The card is assembled together with a black satin ribbon. 

The image above best illustrates how the invitation is formatted. The fonts and colors cannot be changed on this invitation, but you have the ability to customize the text.

The response card fits snuggly in the back pocket of the invitation.  The response card comes with a black envelope, adding the perfect point of contrast at the end of the invitation.

For more information about this unique invite, visit us  at www.1st-class-wedding-invitations.com.

What interesting wedding invitation formats have your attention lately?

Holiday Cards and Save the Dates

Save the Date cards are typically sent 6 months to a year before a wedding in order to allow people to begin making travel arrangements. We started talking around the office today about how this time of year, couples could combine Save the Date and Holiday cards into one.

We ordered our company holiday card this past week, but also fell in love with these photo cards:

 

We love all the different designs! You could insert your favorite photograph along with a “Happy Holidays” and “Save the Date” message. You will save money on the postage and will not use as many paper products. It would be the perfect example of the old adage ”killing two birds with one stone” (except we don’t encourge killing birds or throwing stones…)!

Have you ever thought about combining your holiday cards with a Save the Date?

Monday Invitation Spotlight: Holiday Card Edition

In these first few days after Thanksgiving, we immediately began preparing for the upcoming holiday season. This is a very exciting time for us because we know many of our future clients will be getting engaged in the next few weeks!

We spent some time this Cyber Monday shopping for holiday cards. We knew we wanted a photo card so we were sure to coordinate a group photo a couple of weeks ago. We also wanted a card to express a variety of holiday messages to send to our diverse group of contacts. After searching through several different designs, we came across this one:

We of course added our own photo and personalized message on the front. We chose a layout for the interior of the card that allowed us to include our signatures at the top and our logo on the bottom section of the card.

You can find our card here, or visit www.cardsdirect.com.

Monday Invitation Spotlight: Espresso and Champagne Swirl

Maybe it was the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday that caused us to gravitate toward today’s spotlight invitation. The invitation’s name is Espresso and Champagne Swirl, which sounds absolutely delicious. Good thing this stationery set looks as good as it sounds!

The floral detail along the bottom of the invitation is sophisticated and rich. It looks beautiful when paired with the coordinating enclosure cards.

This response card is printed on champagne colored paper to contrast the invitation and allow for guest’s writing to appear clearly on the card.

The reception card in slightly larger than the response card, allowing you space to include important details about the event.

Tis the Season to be Thankful! Send a coordinating Thank You Card to your wedding guests. You can customize the front of this card to say anything from your names, to your wedding date, to the words “Thank You.”

To find more about this scrumptious wedding invitation and more, visit us at our online store. We hope you have a wonderful week, and we are very thankful to have you as a reader!

FAQ: Postage

How do I make sure my wedding invitation has the proper amount of postage?

This may sound like a simple question, but postage is one of the most important aspects of your invitations. They must reach the guests! With email and online bill pay becoming more and more common, it is important for couples to be aware of postage costs. Because wedding invitations usually include multiple pieces such as the invite, response card, and reception card, it is easy for the envelope to weigh more than the standard $0.44. Also, square invitations require more postage than rectangular ones.

Take a completed invitation to your local post office to be weighed in order to determine the proper amount of postage. You will be happy you took the time to check!

Do any of you have helpful bits of advice on postage for your wedding invitations?